The Last Wish

Geralt of Rivia is a witcher. A cunning sorcerer. A merciless assassin. And a cold-blooded killer. His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good… and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth. – Goodreads Synopsis

Awhile back you may recall that I did a little post about the video game The Witcher 3. This book series is what inspired that video game. With how much I loved the game… it was easy for me to move The Last Wish to the very top of my TBR stack.

Book vs Game

One of the biggest debates in the reading community is how faithful movies and TV shows are to the books, and the vast majority of the time we always vote in favor of the books. (I know that I do, but I also most certainly biased too…) I don’t know if it is because I experienced the games before the books first in the case of the Witcher, but I believe the game to still be the best way to enjoy the world of the Witcher. This is a rarity of a decision for me, but the game can just combine so many different elements to really polish off a great entertainment experience.

Geralt

Geralt is exactly the character I thought he was going to be. Reading his parts I could imagine the voice over artist from the games speaking. Geralt as a character is very well written, and for someone you would expect to come out of a cheap action flick, he has surprising a lot of depth. His professional and no bullshit attitude is always there, but you get to see how his character develops throughout his journey. For someone who has undergone mutations to make him less human, he shows a lot of genuine human emotion. It as as satisfying to read about Geralt slashing up succubi as it is to read him in turmoil over his star-crossed lover.

Atmosphere

The novel perfectly sets up an atmosphere of which I love to read.

It has that grimdark grit that I have been growing to love over the recent years. It helps set the stage for a bleak world that is ridden with evil, and who better to destroy the evil than the great butcher of blaviken?

Narrative Structure

The structure of the novel is split up into different parts of which I like to think of as “quests”. These short story like quests prove to be a terrific medium in world building, and give a little hit of character development in each. The telling of the main story is structured through the use of flashbacks. Now flashbacks are usually a hit or miss and can be done wrong easily. You always end up thinking “SIGH ANOTHER FLASHBACK!?” in the worst cases, but if done properly, they end up with you craving them to get more of that backstory. In the case of The Last Wish, they are very satisfying to read.

Verdict

The Last Wish was one of my favorite books that I read last year, and I am definitely going to continue to read the whole series. I have very high expectations for all of the books that come after this one in the series, and I hope that I am not let down! Netflix has also recently announced that they are going to take a stab at creating a TV version of the Witcher! The main part being played by Superman himself: Henry Cavil. I am going to keep my fingers crossed that this adaptation remains as faithful as the games did.

@Chaz Awesome post man! I love the Witcher games. I completely agree with you. As much as I love books, especially possibly “The Last Wish” (I haven’t read it yet but I will in the future), the game is indeed the best way to enjoy the world of the Witcher. By the way, I also heard rumors about Henry Cavil is quitting on his Superman role. It’s interesting to see him take on the role of Geralt.

The Witcher series has been on my TBR for a while now, and honestly I can’t wait to read it based on a few things I have snooped through your blog about. I personally have never played the games, though they are also on my TBP list, right now OoT is eating that space up for the 1000th time.

Hmmm. Gaming and storyline. That is something romance writers probably don’t need to worry about anytime soon, although I did see a board game version of “Pride and Prejudice.” The fictional couples raced to see who could get to the church altar first! 🙂 Blessings, Chaz.

Oh, you’re in for a journey! The whole series is excellent in my opinion. I binged all of the books except Season of Storms. I’m holding off on that one until I need one last Witcher hit. The audiobooks are narrated by Peter Kenny, and he does an amazing job as well!

Seems like reading the book would give the game more depth, make it more interesting having more details about characters and storyline. I like the structure of your review–works really well for looking at the origin of the game.

Hi Chaz,
So pleased to have discovered your blog! I never knew The Witcher came from a book series – doh! I’m definitely going to seek out The Last Wish now, though my “To Read” list is pretty ridiculous because I watch too many movies…..
Take care,
Debra

I fangirl hard for this world and the characters. I cannot wait for the Netflix show, but am so bummed they don’t plan to make anymore games. These are on my TBR pile, so perfect push to get me to start reading them!

I feel like the game would be better as well, because it’s so open you can do things how you want to and at your own pace. In a book it’s going to go one way, and no matter what you do it’s going to progress that way a d end that way. The game allows for more option!

i like your comment that people prefer the book over the movie (which is usually an adaptation of the book). For some reason, the book seems more “real” — probably because it’s the original inspiration.

However, I recently saw the movie version of Dave Eggers’ “Hologram for the King” and found it not only true to the book but actually more “intelligible” — that is, more direct and dramatic.

Along similar lines, Robert Altman’s movie, M*A*S*H, is light years better than the lame-ass original book.

I’m super hype they are making a Netflix adaptation of a universe that you love! Thats also dope for the author of that universe to see their world reimagined in so many different ways and have genuine fans! I will def keep my eye out for it on Netflix and the book maybe. I’m not much of a gamer unfortunately. Just SIMS. Lol. 🖤

Wow! I am loving Netflix’s The Witcher! Henry Cavill is especially good in the show. His Geralt is just spot on. I think though that I like the Mandalorian a little better than The Witcher though if I’m being honest. I can’t wait for the next season already.